Wes Kao

Ever find yourself dreading the infamous "$hit Sandwich" feedback?
 
 One reason this method -- which sandwiches constructive criticism between two compliments -- feels so yuck is that people tend to give very general, vague positive feedback, but very specific, concrete negative feedback. 
 
 Consider this: "You did a great job organizing the program yesterday, but during your talk you spoke too fast, had a typo, slides 14-16 were extraneous, and the call to action was weak -- but nice work!"
 
 The positive feedback loses its impact amidst the detailed criticism. 
 
 But giving people concrete, specific positive feedback is powerful, helping to sustain motivation and reinforce recent learning and growth. It also just feels nice. 
 
 So, skip the $hit Sandwich. Vague praise is not helping anyone. But find opportunities to tell your people specifically what they are doing well. 
 
 This post was inspired by Wes Kao's recent newsletter on how to give effective feedback, which I highly recommend. 
 
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 Hi, I'm a cognitive neuroscientist specializing in developing incredibly effective, scalable products. I design solutions around user experience, behavioral science and product testing. My expertise includes learning, memory, decision making, habits, attention and motivation -- all fundamental to scalable digital products.
 
 Do you need product development strategy? Let's talk. 
 
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